Chief Rugby Reporter

We did it: Jubilant Waratahs after victory on Saturday night. Photo: Getty Images

A Super Rugby record crowd of more than 55,000 could swamp ANZ Stadium to watch the Waratahs shoot for their first Super Rugby title against seven-time champions the Crusaders on Saturday night.

The minor premiers' third title clash with the Crusaders in nine years will be their first on home soil and a forecast 50,000-plus attendance will easily smash the Waratahs' home crowd record of 40,449.

There is every indication it will also set an Australian benchmark, surpassing the 52,113 who watched the Queensland Reds beat the Crusaders 18-13 in the 2011 final.

Even a competition record is not beyond reach. Organisers say the Waratahs' gutsy 26-8 win against last year's runners-up the Brumbies at the weekend could mean an Australian team breaks the Super Rugby crowd record of 55,000, which was set when the Bulls monstered the Chiefs 61-17 at Loftus Versfeld to claim their second of three titles in 2009. The dream run of home finals has already netted Waratahs Rugby an estimated $400,000 and promises to put a further $800,000 or more into the province's empty kitty, minus the $175,000 in fees the home side is required to pay the visiting teams.

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Only the Crusaders stand in the way of the dream scenario imagined by Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver at the start of the season when he declared 2014 "the year of the Waratahs". The last time the warriors from Canterbury played a final in Australia they left Suncorp Stadium losers, but their record against NSW home or away is characterised by despair on the Australian side.

They have outclassed NSW twice before in a Super Rugby final. They won a 35-25 thriller in Christchurch in 2005 and in 2008 - the year the Waratahs believed glory was theirs - they gave a 20-12 masterclass in patience and determination. The Waratahs led 12-11 at half-time and outscored the Crusaders two tries to one but lost five-eighth Kurtley Beale to injury in the second half and had their hearts broken by a grinding Crusaders pack and a fairytale send-off for departing coach Robbie Deans.

But history means little to NSW coach Michael Cheika. After finally coming down from the high of watching his players guts out a classic Australian derby, Cheika said the minor premiers would not be shackled by the Crusaders' rich tradition of success.

"That's irrelevant to me," he said. "It's one day and that's it as far as I'm concerned. Everyone wants to read things from the past but for me, I don't feel that and I don't think our players will feel that either. We just feel lucky we have our chance to play a home final in front of our supporters and get stuck in."

There were few similarities in the two semi-finals played out within an hour of each other on opposite sides of the Tasman on Saturday.

The Waratahs emptied the tank to hold out the Brumbies in a classic 20-minute period of set piece trench warfare in Sydney, while the Crusaders never looked seriously challenged by the Sharks in Christchurch.

Cheika dismissed concerns his players might have nothing left after putting it all on the line to make the final. "You've got to manage that because you can't let adrenaline mask it - when you're buggered you're buggered - but I don't see any of that going on," he said.

The Crusaders found hole after hole in the Sharks defence and rarely let a ball die in contact to score five tries in their 38-6 rout of the South Africans.

Cheika said the Waratahs' competition-best defence would be put to the test for a second straight week. "They've got very big, strong men running in wide channels, with [Nemani] Nadolo and [Kieran] Read, and [Richie] McCaw getting his hands on the ball more at No.6. They are very strong and can offload, and then they have good ball handlers on the inside channel. Our defensive technique is going to be key to hinder the offloads."

29 comments so far

With a crowd like that maybe the Waratahs could pay back some of the money the ARU has propped them up with over the last decade!

Commenter

Andy

Date and time

July 27, 2014, 7:54PM

'A record crowd of more than 55,000'? Some record. I've mentioned these tiny attendances at Rugby matches before. In Melbourne we cancel matches that only sell 55,000 tickets for lack of interest.

Commenter

Florence

Location

Firenze

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 8:56AM

mines bigger than your, i measured it

Commenter

kurt

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 10:58AM

@ Florence - Try putting an AFL game on anywhere on earth other than Australia then.Even the Mums, Dad's and Girlfriends would need to be pursuaded to turn up.Whenever AFL supporters are feeling a little isolated they wheel out the "we get the biggest crowds in the world" stat. Is that it? is that all you've got?One wonders why the rest of the world just can't understand this, AFL, is in fact the greatest game on earth.

Commenter

wennicks

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 11:03AM

Florence seriously ?? More people go to an AFL game then Rugby game, so it must be better ?? True or otherwise, who cares ?? Stop waving your insecurities around and get a clue, it is possible to watch more than one sport.

Commenter

topender

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 1:03PM

@Florence, And NRL gets bigger TV audiences than AFL. Rugby and NRL are better tv sports because they are not 360 degree games so you miss alot from 100 metres away. AFL is boring on TV, I can only bare to watch what is the poor mans soccer live and when im given a free ticket.

Commenter

Peter

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 1:41PM

Why all this talk of minor premierships and becoming premiers?

Super Rugby is a championship. If the 'Tahs win they will be champions not premiers.

Commenter

GNC

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 2:08AM

Something Chieka managed well against the Brumbies was inspired substitutions at the right time. Forwards putting 100% and the bench had some big men come one (mind you one for about 43 seconds) and continue the up front dominance. You could also argue it let to big Willy being in the middle of the try of the year after Bennie sprinted a quick 20m down the sideline - well the way his legs were moving it looked like 20M.

Commenter

a don

Location

sydney

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 8:13AM

Theres no doubt the tahs are gonna be favorites agin the Crusaders who will be be pushed to the limits to cope with, let alone compete with, the intensity and skill of the Blues this weekend.The Crusaders in fact are a team of average to very good players who raise themselves higher by performing well as a team and then not always too well.Against that the tahs have great players and some real new rising champions and they appear to operate better as a team most of the time.Providing Hooper does not get caught out in his role as the new supercheat loosie I can only see one winner .Will this be the first step on the road to regaining the Bledisloe and the RWC next year.After losing the sevens today perhaps the Blacks could be on the verge of total collapse.

Commenter

smiler

Date and time

July 28, 2014, 8:15AM

You're deluded Smiler. The Crusaders finished the regular season in 2nd then pounded the 3rd placed Sharks in their semi. The Waratahs will be slight favourites but not by much at all. It will be a good game with two evenly matched teams.

The Crusaders full of average players? Seriously? Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Israel Dagg, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano... there are at least five players who are the best in the world for their position. You don't know what you're talking about.